


Guardian

by Bonfoi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, HP: EWE, M/M, Post-Second Voldemort War, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonfoi/pseuds/Bonfoi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the war, Severus works for the Ministry, with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, and sometimes, that work takes him away from Remus.</p><hr/><p>A gift to Azure_rosa and Dani_Meows, and Lupin_Snape community.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [community: lupin_snape](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=community%3A+lupin_snape), [dani_meows](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=dani_meows), [azure_rosa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azure_rosa/gifts).



> **A/N:** Tho' this stems from a long-ago conversation in Lupin_Snape Chat, I'm still very thankful to the lovely folks who helped inspire this bit of flangsty froth.
> 
> * * *
> 
> There never was a more appropriate form than that of Severus Snape's.

§¤§¤*§*¤§¤§ 

_Disclaimer:_ The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life.

This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.

§¤§¤*§*¤§¤§ 

Severus wove from side-to-side, groaning and muttering. No one came near him. In fact, several witches and wizards crossed to the other side of the street to avoid the rambling wreck of a man. Under his tatters, he smirked. Such _observant_ people would make his job that much easier.

~o~0~o~

"Sisters, our time has come again!" a woman shouted.

Severus crept closer to the garden wall. The magical listening device he'd planted on one of the women whilst begging in the streets was working perfectly.

"Our coven has a long and hallowed tradition of disrupting the world to bring forth cleansing chaos. For too long have we been denied such sweeping change. With the death of the usurper He Who Must Not Be Named..."

Several of the witches gathered gasped and cried out.

The speaker continued, "With that one death, our way is clear once more!" A fist or something else solid hit a table. "The Ancient Coven of Mab will now unleash the chaos we have been denied for a thousand years." Murmuring a soft, sibilant susurrus of words from a host of languages the witches' voices tumbled over themselves, and the hairs on the back of Severus' disguised neck rose straight up.

He conjured his Patronus, gave it the password, a few terse phrases of information, and sent it off to his back-up with a wordless, fervent prayer that the two dunderheads would be as fast as they had been during their Quidditch-playing days.

A few passes of his wand and Severus was no longer a disturbed vagrant. His tatters were gone, and in their place were sleek duelling robes so dark as to mimic the gloom of midnight on a starless night. He whispered the flying spell and rose up over the garden wall silently. He hovered for a few seconds and began shooting off barely spoken hexes of confusion, fright, and disturbance.

Too bad the speaker at the podium, a round, frog-faced witch he was quite familiar with, had time enough to bark out a few curses of her own.

»¤«∞»¤«

The next thing Severus knew, he was low to the ground, spitting and hissing and raking his claws across any of the coven members nearby. He realized he wasn't in his proper form, but his magic was still strong, and available. He cut a swath through the milling throng, moving toward where Dolores Umbridge and the other senior members of the coven of Mab stood, wands at the ready. When he was within five feet of the stage, Severus yowled out a cutting hex that swirled black-and-red and clawed at the nearest of the witches.

_Not what I expected_ , he thought with a feline smirk as he jumped effortlessly onto the stage, near the podium. Now the coven was in a frenzy, the full moon illuminating the rush of some members for the street and others banding together, arms entwined as they began chanting in a strange, guttural language.

"Draco! It's Umbridge," a voice cried out above his head. Harry Potter, Auror, swooped down on his broom, executing a daring dive and sudden stop, wand pressed dead center on the former Hogwarts headmistress' forehead. "Don't move, madam witch, or I might be forced to defend myself," Potter growled.

"Potter! Remember what Kingsley said and don't mark her, whatever you do!" Draco Malfoy, Auror, jumped from his broom and fell into a controlled tumble that brought him up in the midst of a chanting group of witches. With a dramatic flourish, he disarmed them and then bound them in one mass of spitting, hissing malcontents. The spells they'd attempted fizzled out in the air, visible to Severus' changed eyes as streaks of sickly green and yellow, magical pus that burst into nothingness once the power feeding them was withdrawn.

"While I do so love kitties, and they are the best of creatures for a witch, don't you think?" Umbridge and her cronies, several of which were twitching and jerking— _possibly in the throes of henbane poisoning if Severus were to hazard a guess_ —fanned out before him, wands and fingers pointed at him. "This puss is pure evil, sisters, can't you tell? Dark and dangerous and foreign," she hissed. 

Severus' hackles fluffed out in anger. _Who was she to call **him** evil?_ His back arched up and his eyes narrowed, a low vibration started in his chest and rumbled out from between his clenched jaws in a threatening growl.

" _Expelliarmus!_ " two voices shouted and the senior witches were disarmed. Not that they were powerless; they rushed toward Severus' small form, fingers turned into claws—some of which were gnarled and vicious-looking—with Dolores Umbridge's tittering giggle rising madly above the snarls of outrage. 

" _Confundus! Incarcerous! Locomotor Wibbly! Stupefy! Locomotor Mortis!_ "

The spells, hexes, and jinxes coloured the air above Severus in a veritable rainbow of power, depending on the witch or wizard casting them. He almost missed Umbridge's desperate lunge toward him, but a fortuitous Jelly-legs Jinx from Potter—of course the boy would seek to reduce harm even to the bitch who'd scarred him—and Severus' own innate self-preserving tendencies had him leaping aside to land lightly on the ground and then nonchalantly lifting a paw to groom his ruffled fur.

When Potter and Draco, and other Aurors on their team, had finished rounding up the coven, Severus gave a lazy stretch and reversed the forced transformation. He wasn't as thorough as he'd hoped when Potter started laughing under his breath and even Draco's lips began twitching into what was more than likely a grin. Severus sighed and reached up—he'd forgotten the ears and the whiskers. Again. It was too much to hope for that the chortling fools in front of him would just ignore the additions to his person.

"Snape, you might want to lose the ears and twitchy whiskers before you write up your report," Potter finally said in a laughing voice. When Umbridge opened her mouth to make a comment, he surreptitiously gagged her, eyes still on Severus'. A team member grabbed her and dragged her toward a temporary Apparation circle and shoved her none too gently across the line. She disappeared with a muffled screech.

Severus wrinkled his nose and his _twitchy_ whiskers rippled. "Yes, yes, it's always a problem when it's forced," he conceded.

"Ah, Potter, we should let Severus get back to his _other_ duties tonight, shouldn't we?" He gave the full moon a significant look. Potter opened his mouth and Draco cut him off. "I'm certain Severus can come by and give us the memories later tomorrow, when he's taken care of his little furry problem, right, Severus?" 

"Thank you, Auror Malfoy," Severus said, stressing Draco's title. "Potter." He nodded sharply and turned on his heel, executing a perfect—and soundless—Apparation.

»¤«∞»¤«

The cottage was still, much too still for such a night, and Severus drew his wand. "Remus?" he called out. The door was still on the latch and the wards were at full strength, but something was off. With a minimum of motion, Severus let himself in and lit the wall sconces with small flames.

Lying on the hearth rug, curled into a circle of dejected _canus lupus_ , Remus Lupin's alter ego refused to look at Severus. He rolled his eyes and concentrated, achieving the proper Animagus transformation this time. He stalked toward the werewolf actively ignoring him and butted his head into Remus' shoulder, a questioning _mer-ow_ slipping out.

Moony raised his head and sniffed. He whuffed at Severus and, with a bit of prodding and head-butting, uncurled enough for Severus to nestle against his belly, both of them basking in the heat of the enchanted fire. Severus purred and rubbed his face into Moony's breastbone, marking him once more as _his_ and the werewolf gave a canid sigh and snuffled at the smaller creature. They dozed off, both of them content now they were together again.

»¤«∞»¤«

Severus felt the change starting in Remus' limbs and jumped out of reach. He sat with his tail curled around his front paws, eyes narrowed in concentration. It never failed to fascinate him, the shivering, shaking transformation from beast to man, the wrenching of sinew and bone from one shape to another, the love he had for the man no matter what form he was in. His tail twitched.

When the tremors left Remus' body, and the flames in the fireplace reduced, Severus knew Remus was once more a man. He closed his eyes and thought about a soft pallet for his love to lie upon and the downy softness of the duvet they'd been gifted the Samhain before, when they'd handfasted. The rug underneath Remus thickened into a fine mattress and their duvet floated out of the bedroom to drape over Remus. Severus purred with satisfaction and jumped onto the makeshift bed to curl up next to Remus' head.

Several hours later, Severus woke to gentle fingers scratching behind his ears and a rough voice cooing at him. He could do without the soppy words, but the fingers were heavenly, finding just the right spot to make him purr sleepily. His paws flexed and he began kneading, a feline laugh escaping when Remus tsked at him for digging those sharp, needle-like claws into _him_.

The morning progressed much as every other morning after a transformation: Remus waking to Severus in his Animagus form; an all too brief quiet moment before Severus' sense of duty overrode everything else and he jumped from the bed, transforming into himself, and got the healing potions he'd created for Remus. Then Severus made a full English breakfast, got Remus up and through his ablutions and dressed, watched Remus eat far too little, and made certain every potion was imbibed completely. It wasn't until noon that their ritual was disturbed by someone knocking on the cottage door.

"Go on, Severus, let Harry in. I know you were out on an assignment last night," Remus said with a sad smile. "I may not remember much as Moony, but I know I miss you when you aren't there after I've first transformed." He hunched into the tatty cardigan he favoured after a transformation—much to Severus' disdain since the blasted thing had been a gift from Sirius Black—and pasted a serene smile on his face.

Stalking to the door and practically tearing it open, Severus ushered in Harry Potter. "You know I'd come into the Ministry later today, Potter."

"Didn't want you to leave Remus, Snape." Harry glanced over at Remus with a smile. "Hi ya, Remus. Sorry to have drafted Snape into service last night, but he was the most senior operative available." Potter pulled a shrunken scroll from his pocket and a Quick Quotes Quill and, with a snap of his fingers, had both ready for Severus' statement.

"You don't want my memories of last night?" Severus looked at the Auror with suspicion clear on his face.

"Most of the witches said you didn't do any blasting when you arrived, just hovered in the air and looked menacing. Fact is, quite a few were on the verge of leaving the coven due to, ah, Umbridge's barmy ideas. Another fact is that she's been having problems stringing coherent sentences together 'cause some of the senior witches have been dosing her with," he pulled out a Muggle notebook and consulted it, "English Ivy and Oleander. Seems they didn't like the fact she'd been a supporter of Voldemort's, but hadn't dared strike at her until she'd shown just how far 'round the twist she was." He snapped the notebook closed with a flick of his wrist. "So, statement now and then you can take the rest of the day making it up to Remus, yeah?"

Severus' eyebrows lowered menacingly and he growled, making both Potter and Remus laugh. "You sound just like a cat that's had the canary snatched away," Potter said with a grin.

»¤«∞»¤«

An hour after giving his statement and sending Potter off with a flea in his ear and a full belly from a proper working man's tea, Severus lounged on the window sill in his Animagus form. His eyes were half-closed, and his tail was swishing lazily as he sunbathed. One ear turned toward the sound of scuffing slippers and he mewed softly when Remus' strong fingers rubbed against his chin and his neck.

"How is it we get along so well, Severus? We're of such different persuasions." Remus had asked before, and Severus had ignored the question every time. It was part of their ritual. Remus crooked one finger and gently scratched behind Severus' head, dead centre at the base of his skull, inducing a raspy purr to erupt. Remus chuckled and continued his ministrations for several more minutes.

"Well, I'm going to finish setting up your Yule treat. If you'd care to help, I'll be in the library." Remus shuffled away and Severus lay drowsy and content for a few moments before he leapt from the sill and trotted after his lover.

»¤«∞»¤«

"You got me a scratching post?" Severus asked in amazement.

Remus laughed outright at that and the expression on Severus' face. "I'm not that insensitive, Severus. This is a miniature battle dummy. I thought you'd like to hone your form's fighting skills after what happened last night." Remus flushed. "I want you to come home to me, always."

A rumbling sound, much like a purr—if he'd been in his feline form—vibrated out of Severus. He reached out and pulled Remus close, the taller man allowing his body to be moulded around Severus. "Put that way, I think it's a fine treat."

He tucked his head under Remus' chin and whispered silkily, "Would you like my Yule treat now? Or shall I trick you into accepting it later?" 

Remus growled and manoeuvred Severus' head up enough to ravage his mouth for a long while until they were breathless. "The only tricks going on here will be how many times I can make you yowl like a cat," Remus murmured.

"I'll see your yowl and raise you a score of howls when I fulfil that harem fantasy of yours tonight." Severus was quite pleased to suddenly be in Remus' arms, against his chest, the man's strength miraculously returned at the mention of his often-stated fantasy of seeing Severus in nothing but veils. He gave a feline smirk and curled against his lover's chest. He kneaded Remus' biceps absentmindedly as they sped toward the bedroom.

"Cats," Remus whispered, "always know how to get what they want, don't they, Severus?"

Severus merely gave a Cheshire Cat grin and proceeded to steal Remus' breath away.

§¤§¤*§*¤§¤§ 

_~~~ Comments, like rain in the desert, are greatly appreciated.  
Thank you for reading. ~~~_

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this chat conversation:
>
>>   
> dani_meows: He's secretely a siamese animagus. :-P  
> @azure-writing: that would be awesome  
> @azure-writing: and it would work too, aside from the voice  
> @azure-writing: trained attack cats, vicious yet affectionate and protective of those they like  
> dani_meows: The preening... the sense of being the best in the room, the staring at you in the middle of the night.... spying on your every move  
> Bonfoi: Ooh, we had a bob-tailed siamese. Gorgeous, chocolate points, silky fur, and a deep, rumbly purr and meerreow...  
> Bonfoi: Sitting on your chest, just because he can. Stealing bites of your food because he's distracted you...  
> @azure-writing: and, of course, Siamese mixes are frequently black paralleling Severus' half-blood status and preference for the color... :D  
> dani_meows: That's my siamese.... she hates other cats but loves me an my husband almost as much as she loves herself. (She's a 24 year old apple-head, I adopted when she was 15 from a friend)  
> @azure-writing: Also Siamese are considered to be among the most intelligent of cat breeds  
> @azure-writing: Severus makes a good cat period, but a Siamese might be a particularly good fit  
> dani_meows: Mine is very smart... she's figured out how to open doors and windows, how to manipulate me into giving her treats... where to get her heating pad and how to drag it out into the living room so that we set it oon low for her...  
> @azure-writing: XD  
> Bonfoi: There's a reason why siamese cats patroled the royal gardens of Siam, you know.  
> @azure-writing: sounds like a smart cookie to me!  
> @azure-writing: yup  
> dani_meows: ^_^  
> @azure-writing: ninja attack cats of *death*!  
> Bonfoi: Oh, I might have to do a Halloween fic where Severus becomes a siamese cat and guards Remus from everyone!  
> @azure-writing: also their caterwauling draws attention  
> @azure-writing: :D :D :D  
> @azure-writing: I would love that!  
> dani_meows: *giggles* That would be awesome!  
> @azure-writing: maybe directly after a change Remus is unconscious and people keep poking at him when all he needs is to be left alone to rest and have a certain Siameese curl up on his chest and purr at him <3  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> Research
> 
>  
> 
> [Offensive and Defensive Spells @ HP-Lexicon.org](http://www.hp-lexicon.org/magic/spells/spells_off-def.html)
> 
>  
> 
> [Animagus @ Harry Potter Wikia](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Animagus)
> 
> [10 Common Plants You Didn't Know Were Toxic](http://listverse.com/2011/03/22/10-common-plants-you-didnt-know-were-toxic/)  
> 


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